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Cavendish & Walker #1
Deadly Games
An elusive serial killer. A police officer living on borrowed time. An unexpected twist that threatens to blow everything apart.
DCI Whitney Walker is in trouble. She’s been threatened with demotion if she screws up another case. So, when a killer starts murdering female students at the local university, she knows this is her chance to redeem herself.
Forensic psychologist, Dr Georgina Cavendish, has spent her life inside the university walls, but when one of her students is murdered and she’s the one to find the body, she resolves to step out from behind her text books and put her skills to the test.
While the killer leads the police on a game of cat and mouse, Walker and Cavendish form an uneasy alliance. But will it be too late to stop the worst serial killer in Lenchester’s history?
Deadly Games is the first book in the Cavendish and Walker crime fiction series. If you like Great British serial killer mysteries, and psychological intrigue, then you’ll love Sally Rigby’s page-turning book.
Pick up Deadly Games today to read Cavendish & Walker’s first case.
274 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 6, 2019
2871 people are currently reading
1723 people want to read
About the author
Sally Rigby
45 books493 followersSally Rigby was born in Northampton, in the UK. She has always had the travel bug, and after living in both Manchester and London, eventually moved overseas. From 2001 she has lived with her family in New Zealand, which she considers to be the most beautiful place in the world. During this time she also lived for five years in Australia. Sally has always loved crime fiction books, films and TV programmes, and has a particular fascination with the psychology of serial killers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 411 reviews
March 22, 2021
Really, really bad. I did like the growing friendship between the police officer, DCI Whitney Walker, and the forensic psychologist, Dr Georgina Cavendish. They are quite different, with Whitney being a working class single mother who dropped out before taking her A-levels when she got pregnant very young, and George being a well-educated, middle-class academic. They clash at first (mainly because Whitney has a huge chip on her shoulder, but also because George is pretty entitled and just cannot understand why the police aren't rushing to accept the help of a random psychologist who's never worked on a real-life investigation), but then their friendship develops quite organically and in a way that felt believable.
And that is it for the positives, I'm afraid. The writing is amateurish, all tell and no show, and the dialogue is wooden and unnatural. While the relationship between George and Whitney worked, every other relationship feels awkward and psychologically unbelievable. The solution to the mystery is obvious, but at the same time, pretty unbelievable. The several dead women are treated by the narrative as disposable, and the tone felt exploitative.
That's all bad enough, but the absolutely worse part is that the police procedural elements were really, really, REALLY crap. Whitney is a terrible investigator. She doesn't follow obvious lines of enquiry. She breaks the rules in ways that would obviously compromise the investigation, and even does so when it's not important, because if police followed all the rules, they wouldn't get anything done (I have very little tolerance for this these days). She has horrible judgment about what constitutes solid evidence, as shown by how she is so convinced that a certain character is the murderer based on extremely flimsy, circumstantial evidence (and also, why on earth is the fact that someone has bondage porn on his computer something that, as is said twice, would lead him to lose his job? Whitney is a judgmental prude, as well as an idiot). It didn't help that, because I was so annoyed at the idiocy of these people, I paused reading Deadly Games for a while and read JD Robb's Faithless in Death. Eve would despise Whitney, and with good reason.
I'll stop now. I could rant for a while longer, but this is probably clear enough. This is a D for me.
And that is it for the positives, I'm afraid. The writing is amateurish, all tell and no show, and the dialogue is wooden and unnatural. While the relationship between George and Whitney worked, every other relationship feels awkward and psychologically unbelievable. The solution to the mystery is obvious, but at the same time, pretty unbelievable. The several dead women are treated by the narrative as disposable, and the tone felt exploitative.
That's all bad enough, but the absolutely worse part is that the police procedural elements were really, really, REALLY crap. Whitney is a terrible investigator. She doesn't follow obvious lines of enquiry. She breaks the rules in ways that would obviously compromise the investigation, and even does so when it's not important, because if police followed all the rules, they wouldn't get anything done (I have very little tolerance for this these days). She has horrible judgment about what constitutes solid evidence, as shown by how she is so convinced that a certain character is the murderer based on extremely flimsy, circumstantial evidence (and also, why on earth is the fact that someone has bondage porn on his computer something that, as is said twice, would lead him to lose his job? Whitney is a judgmental prude, as well as an idiot). It didn't help that, because I was so annoyed at the idiocy of these people, I paused reading Deadly Games for a while and read JD Robb's Faithless in Death. Eve would despise Whitney, and with good reason.
I'll stop now. I could rant for a while longer, but this is probably clear enough. This is a D for me.
April 21, 2019
This is the beginning of an exciting new series featuring DCI Whitney Walker and Forensic Psychologist, Dr. Georgina Cavendish. It all begins when George (Georgina) finds the body of a college student who has been murdered. George is a teacher and researcher and wants nothing more to help the police find this killer.
Whitney and George are polar opposites. Whitney has a tendency to do things her own way and not about the consequences later. This has caused her supervisors an untold amount of frustration. George is a planner, resistant to changes, predictable. How these two women go from not liking each other to becoming, if not life-long friends, colleagues who can and do work together to reach one goal .... bring justice to the victims and put away the killer.
This student is not the only one to be found .... very similar to the first girl. Alternating chapters give the reader an insight to the mind of a killer .. and to how law enforcement go about looking at possible suspects. And with an entire college to look at, the suspects are plenty.
When the killer targets Whitney's daughter, also a college student, things become rather fraught in fear and anger. There are surprising twists and turns leading to an unexpected ending.
Many thanks to the author / TBC Reviewer Request Group (FB) for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
September 26, 2023
A pretty good whodunit by a creative author. 6 of 10 stars
May 6, 2019
DEADLY GAMES is the first crime fiction/police procedural book in a new series featuring DCI Whitney and Forensic Psychologist, Dr. Georgina (George) Cavendish by author Sally Rigby.
A Campus Killer is on the loose!
DCI Whitney Walker has been threatened with demotion if she screws up another case. So, when a killer starts murdering female students at the local university, she knows this is her chance to redeem herself. Whitney doesn’t follow rules well…she makes her own path as she sees fit.
Forensic psychologist, Dr Georgina Cavendish, (George) and her partner Stephen Grant both taught in the psychology department but in different programs. George, independent and career oriented ran the forensic psychology program, a lecturer that has spent her life inside the university walls. While walking early on her way to work at the university she discovers the dead body of one of her students. George wants to assist the police to find the killer.
Walker and Cavendish over time combine forces to try to catch the worst serial killer in Lenchester’s history. Walker starts using a forensic pathologist to help with the profiling and that person is George.
As time goes by more victims are discovered. The circumstances of their deaths are linked. They all have been strangled, murdered and raped, with the victim’s bodies being posed in the same position with a mobile phone left on their laps.
Through alternating chapters, the reader catches a glimpse of the mindset of the killer, while the search continues for the killer.
Things heat up too much when the killer goes after, Whitney’s daughter, Tiffany, a university student at the college.
There are many twists and turns leading to an unexpected ending. A very enjoyable read and highly recommended!
Deadly Games is the first book in the Cavendish and Walker crime fiction series. If you like Great British serial killer mysteries, and psychological intrigue, then you’ll love Sally Rigby’s page-turning book.
Many thanks to the author and TBC Reviewer Request Group (FB) for my digital copy.
A Campus Killer is on the loose!
DCI Whitney Walker has been threatened with demotion if she screws up another case. So, when a killer starts murdering female students at the local university, she knows this is her chance to redeem herself. Whitney doesn’t follow rules well…she makes her own path as she sees fit.
Forensic psychologist, Dr Georgina Cavendish, (George) and her partner Stephen Grant both taught in the psychology department but in different programs. George, independent and career oriented ran the forensic psychology program, a lecturer that has spent her life inside the university walls. While walking early on her way to work at the university she discovers the dead body of one of her students. George wants to assist the police to find the killer.
Walker and Cavendish over time combine forces to try to catch the worst serial killer in Lenchester’s history. Walker starts using a forensic pathologist to help with the profiling and that person is George.
As time goes by more victims are discovered. The circumstances of their deaths are linked. They all have been strangled, murdered and raped, with the victim’s bodies being posed in the same position with a mobile phone left on their laps.
Through alternating chapters, the reader catches a glimpse of the mindset of the killer, while the search continues for the killer.
Things heat up too much when the killer goes after, Whitney’s daughter, Tiffany, a university student at the college.
There are many twists and turns leading to an unexpected ending. A very enjoyable read and highly recommended!
Deadly Games is the first book in the Cavendish and Walker crime fiction series. If you like Great British serial killer mysteries, and psychological intrigue, then you’ll love Sally Rigby’s page-turning book.
Many thanks to the author and TBC Reviewer Request Group (FB) for my digital copy.
February 19, 2021
Did not love the serial-killer-of-young-women plot (I am just tired of this. Can we at least serial-kill powerful men for a change if we must have serial killers?) and I could see the end coming from a ways away. But I did enjoy the growing friendship between the two prickly female leads, the posh academic/forensic psychologist Georgina (George) Cavendish and DCI Whitney Walker, who got pregnant at 17 so joined the force rather than sitting her A levels. On the surface they’re very different, but they learn to respect each other and their shared drive to catch a killer. Clare Corbett’s narration distinguished between the two women well, though her male voices weren’t great.
September 10, 2019
Not deserving of all the 5 star ratings
I wonder about all the five star ratings on Goodreads. Has it finally lost its independence? This novel is passable, predictable and is not strong in the police procedural aspect. I will try one more in the series.
I wonder about all the five star ratings on Goodreads. Has it finally lost its independence? This novel is passable, predictable and is not strong in the police procedural aspect. I will try one more in the series.
May 10, 2020
It’s an ok book. However, it was kind of predictable as you could deduct whodunnit from very early.
It also felt like neither Whitney nor George were as good as the author implies. The investigation was sloppy. Whitney’s instincts were not good at all. She would jump the gun suspecting some people and didn’t suspect the obvious ones. George’s profile was hasty and they did nothing to narrow down the pool.
Honestly, they didn’t actually investigate anything and I’m surprised they actually solved it.
It also felt like neither Whitney nor George were as good as the author implies. The investigation was sloppy. Whitney’s instincts were not good at all. She would jump the gun suspecting some people and didn’t suspect the obvious ones. George’s profile was hasty and they did nothing to narrow down the pool.
Honestly, they didn’t actually investigate anything and I’m surprised they actually solved it.
September 4, 2021
Listened to this on Audible as it was free as part of their new ‘included in your membership’ offer. I am so glad that I didn’t pay for it! The writing is clumsy and the Audible performance is poor - the whole story is read in much the same tone as one might read ‘Famous Five’ books - great for ‘jolly hockey sticks’ type plots, but completely at odds with the graphic nature of this story and the bad language used by the characters.
The plot is entirely predictable and the relationship that ‘develops’ between the two main protagonists is forced and unrealistic. In the end, the plot became just plain silly and implausible. I had several eye roll moments before giving up on it with 15 minutes still to listen to.
The plot is entirely predictable and the relationship that ‘develops’ between the two main protagonists is forced and unrealistic. In the end, the plot became just plain silly and implausible. I had several eye roll moments before giving up on it with 15 minutes still to listen to.
December 22, 2019
This was my first read from author Sally Rigby, did like Deadly Games, liked both of the main characters and can't wait to see them grow with each new book.
Lynda La Plante's 'Prime Suspect' drama series was my introduction to British Police procedural, hooked me as a fan of it and too seek out the genre in books. Fast forward 20+ years from that epic show, with the evolution of ebooks, readers have a gold mine of gems in this genre, especially here across the pond thanks to amazon.com and it's were I purchased 'Deadly Games'.
Based on the cover, but ended up finding a new author to read, discovered two likable characters, in DCI Whitney Walker and Dr. Georgia Cavendish, add in a few red herring's, plausible suspects and even with it being easy to figure out whodunnit. I still enjoyed the read, like that the author got her hands dirty verse keeping it clean and it makes 'Deadly Games' so good or at least it was for me.
I liked that you have a down in her luck DCI Walker who is close to be demoted due to a botched case and a forensic psychologist teaching professor with Dr. Cavendish. Two polar opposites that keep you with the author Sally Rigby's words turning pages and without really giving anything away.
By the end of 'Deadly Games', you'll be hooked wanting to keep reading more to see what Cavendish and Walker do next. Definitely the author puts her name on this readers list of go to British Police procedural authors to read.
Let me add, that I did also read the Deadly Games: Epilogue, wish the author added more to the trial or made it Cavendish & Walker #1.5. Make it a 50 to 70 page novella, with Cavendish telling the trial story.
Lynda La Plante's 'Prime Suspect' drama series was my introduction to British Police procedural, hooked me as a fan of it and too seek out the genre in books. Fast forward 20+ years from that epic show, with the evolution of ebooks, readers have a gold mine of gems in this genre, especially here across the pond thanks to amazon.com and it's were I purchased 'Deadly Games'.
Based on the cover, but ended up finding a new author to read, discovered two likable characters, in DCI Whitney Walker and Dr. Georgia Cavendish, add in a few red herring's, plausible suspects and even with it being easy to figure out whodunnit. I still enjoyed the read, like that the author got her hands dirty verse keeping it clean and it makes 'Deadly Games' so good or at least it was for me.
I liked that you have a down in her luck DCI Walker who is close to be demoted due to a botched case and a forensic psychologist teaching professor with Dr. Cavendish. Two polar opposites that keep you with the author Sally Rigby's words turning pages and without really giving anything away.
By the end of 'Deadly Games', you'll be hooked wanting to keep reading more to see what Cavendish and Walker do next. Definitely the author puts her name on this readers list of go to British Police procedural authors to read.
Let me add, that I did also read the Deadly Games: Epilogue, wish the author added more to the trial or made it Cavendish & Walker #1.5. Make it a 50 to 70 page novella, with Cavendish telling the trial story.
July 5, 2025
I don’t think I’ve ever come across a less likeable main character.
She was rude, condescending, stuck up, and pompous. It was incredibly hard to continue the book and nearly everything she said made me roll my eyes. I can’t understand why somebody like that would have the loyalty of anyone, let alone a team of police officers.
The story itself wasn’t great either. The procedures were completely off, and the fact that the DCI just took an unauthorised civilian with her everywhere seems to never get brought up! PLUS, that civilian never has to give evidence, despite going to interview witnesses, finding the first body, and being at the final crime scene. Absolute rubbish.
On top of all this, I saw the murderer from the get-go. I knew the last victim was going to be taken. I could see the cheating boyfriend. All of it. This was easily the least suspenseful book I’ve ever read.
If this wasn’t free, I’d be demanding a refund.
She was rude, condescending, stuck up, and pompous. It was incredibly hard to continue the book and nearly everything she said made me roll my eyes. I can’t understand why somebody like that would have the loyalty of anyone, let alone a team of police officers.
The story itself wasn’t great either. The procedures were completely off, and the fact that the DCI just took an unauthorised civilian with her everywhere seems to never get brought up! PLUS, that civilian never has to give evidence, despite going to interview witnesses, finding the first body, and being at the final crime scene. Absolute rubbish.
On top of all this, I saw the murderer from the get-go. I knew the last victim was going to be taken. I could see the cheating boyfriend. All of it. This was easily the least suspenseful book I’ve ever read.
If this wasn’t free, I’d be demanding a refund.
May 6, 2020
I reached about 40% and just couldn't deal with the whiny characters. I just could not understand how two main characters who are grown women can be so arrogant and b**chy. Yes, that does happen in real life but even if a person is like that, they still usually know how to be polite and have some manners once in a while. There was none in there. I thought I was reading a murder mystery/detective but 90% of the time it was main characters moaning about each other and being a**holes. That's a nope from me.
December 7, 2025
dNf. Lots of cliches. Not my cup of tea.
April 26, 2023
This is the first book of the Cavendish & Walker series. The plot is mainly about a serial killer and the police trying to find out who murdering the students.
The book is fast paced and the journey of George and Whitney from not even wanting to each other to becoming friends is good. It is fun reading murder mysteries because it gives the reader the power to guess who the culprit is. I had two people narrowed down as the culprits and it was one of them (yay!). At the end even before the killer is revealed it kind of becomes evident, who the killer is. The lesson this book tells us is that it is not good to trust everyone. Overall, I enjoyed this book and the narrator did an excellent job.
The book is fast paced and the journey of George and Whitney from not even wanting to each other to becoming friends is good. It is fun reading murder mysteries because it gives the reader the power to guess who the culprit is. I had two people narrowed down as the culprits and it was one of them (yay!). At the end even before the killer is revealed it kind of becomes evident, who the killer is. The lesson this book tells us is that it is not good to trust everyone. Overall, I enjoyed this book and the narrator did an excellent job.
October 9, 2020
We meet DCI Whitney after she has been told off for not checking her facts before a high profile raid. She definitely has a chip on her shoulder as can be seen from the unprofessional way she dealt with Dr Cavendish after the first murder.
I also found Dr Cavendish quite difficult to like, I found her whinging annoying and her relationship with Stephen pointless.
With not a lot happening in the story and the main characters being quite irritating I nearly gave up. I presume the author wanted to show a developing relationship between the two women, but this is a high-risk strategy if readers are put off finishing the book.
The actual investigation took a long time to get anywhere and it became quite predictable, especially when it became fairly clear who the murderer was.
As for the relationship between Whitney and George, it improved, but it needs more work to make it really interesting, perhaps in the next book?
If possible I would have given 2.5 stars.
I also found Dr Cavendish quite difficult to like, I found her whinging annoying and her relationship with Stephen pointless.
With not a lot happening in the story and the main characters being quite irritating I nearly gave up. I presume the author wanted to show a developing relationship between the two women, but this is a high-risk strategy if readers are put off finishing the book.
The actual investigation took a long time to get anywhere and it became quite predictable, especially when it became fairly clear who the murderer was.
As for the relationship between Whitney and George, it improved, but it needs more work to make it really interesting, perhaps in the next book?
If possible I would have given 2.5 stars.
February 10, 2021
Not much to like about this book so I won't be reading any more of the series.
Why is it that there are so many books with the main character a woman detective who comes from the school of hard knocks, is a single parent, and has a terrible man boss who was promoted through education, not experience or police savvy ?
The writing was stiff, the characters changed their minds suddenly and often for no particular reason, and weren't particularly likeable.
Why is it that there are so many books with the main character a woman detective who comes from the school of hard knocks, is a single parent, and has a terrible man boss who was promoted through education, not experience or police savvy ?
The writing was stiff, the characters changed their minds suddenly and often for no particular reason, and weren't particularly likeable.
May 2, 2020
The two main characters, the distant professor and the uneducated cop, are both unpleasant. The plot, a serial killer of students, is not particularly original. The motivation/psychology of the bad guy is inexistent. To top it all, being written by a woman, there is way too much analysis of the feelings of these two women. Boring.
April 13, 2019
I got this as a e book for my i pad thru a face book page that I am a member of called TBC reviews. I enjoyed reading it. It had a good story to it. It is my first book read by this author. I hope to read more books by this author.
December 18, 2019
2.5 stars. Here we go again with 2 women bordering on being curmudgeons, a case comes up where they're in conflict, one has a daughter in danger, and now they are best friends. Plus the guilty party was obvious. Ho hum!
October 12, 2022
Murders & Tensions*
After reading the previous book 0, This is book 1. This book sees the then DS Whitney Walker from book 0, fast forwarded 10 years and she is now a DCI.
She has worked her socks off in this male dominated job to get to where she is. She is tough and straight talking with a slight chip on her shoulder and if challenged she feels people are out to get at her and is not great at following the rules.
All was going well in her career and role when things go pear shaped, a drug bust that her always reliable informant got spectacularly wrong. That case is briefly referred to and that mistake means her job is on the line. So everything is on the line with this current case.
A young female student from the local university body is found by lecturer Dr Georgina Cavendish Aka George.
George wants to be involved in the case as she feels she will be able to work a profile.
Whitney as usual can manage on her own and does not want any help. Eventually after not getting very far she frostily accepts help.
There is a lot of resistance mainly coming from Whitney. She eventually makes a somewhat hasty arrest and she gives a press conference only for it to blow up in her face when another murder happens.
Well she is taken off the case and talks to George as their relationship starts to build after a stiff talking to from George they decide to team up all under the radar with key trusted members of the team away from the station.
Will their friendship build? There is one key person close to Whitney who is in grave danger. Can Whitney and George join the dots together in time? The race is on? Is this the end of Whitney’s career?
After reading the previous book 0, This is book 1. This book sees the then DS Whitney Walker from book 0, fast forwarded 10 years and she is now a DCI.
She has worked her socks off in this male dominated job to get to where she is. She is tough and straight talking with a slight chip on her shoulder and if challenged she feels people are out to get at her and is not great at following the rules.
All was going well in her career and role when things go pear shaped, a drug bust that her always reliable informant got spectacularly wrong. That case is briefly referred to and that mistake means her job is on the line. So everything is on the line with this current case.
A young female student from the local university body is found by lecturer Dr Georgina Cavendish Aka George.
George wants to be involved in the case as she feels she will be able to work a profile.
Whitney as usual can manage on her own and does not want any help. Eventually after not getting very far she frostily accepts help.
There is a lot of resistance mainly coming from Whitney. She eventually makes a somewhat hasty arrest and she gives a press conference only for it to blow up in her face when another murder happens.
Well she is taken off the case and talks to George as their relationship starts to build after a stiff talking to from George they decide to team up all under the radar with key trusted members of the team away from the station.
Will their friendship build? There is one key person close to Whitney who is in grave danger. Can Whitney and George join the dots together in time? The race is on? Is this the end of Whitney’s career?
January 1, 2022
This is a new author for me. It was a free download so I decided to give it a try. Some of the pieces are tried but true. The main character, Whitney Walker, is a Detective Chief Inspector who has issues with her superior officer. He came into the ranks in the fast track program whereas Whitney started after school and has worked her way up to get where she is. The other main character is Dr. Georgina Cavendish is a forensic psychologist who discovers a body of a student at the University. So you have the conflict between an experienced police officer and an academic who was the opportunity to use her knowledge in a real life situation.
I gave this 4 stars. I enjoyed the story and the procedural aspects. The characters were interesting but sometimes predictable. The download contains the first three books in the series, so I plan on reading the next two books as the price was right. If you have not readSally Rigby before she is worth a trial.
I gave this 4 stars. I enjoyed the story and the procedural aspects. The characters were interesting but sometimes predictable. The download contains the first three books in the series, so I plan on reading the next two books as the price was right. If you have not readSally Rigby before she is worth a trial.
May 8, 2023
I wanted to like this series so much! 2 ladies solving a mystery sounded like it was going to be my jam.
I was really disappointed.
The main character, Whitney, is insufferable and not a good cop, she arrested the first suspect she talked to bc he had porn on his computer and used an escort service.
They made Georgina an uptight bitch and her bf is a POS tbh he is a terrible partner and just seems to be not a nice man even before she got him cheating. He was a jerk to her almost constantly.
The cattiness of the women were sooo annoying, like can’t women just support each other and get along for god sakes.
Also all the male cops are either assholes or super dopey. I was unaware that was the only types of men to exist.
Whitney also spends a lot of time tearing down everyone around her in her head. She’s honestly kind of a catty bitch who throws tantrums when she doesn’t get her way. Like she was surprised when she has the wrong suspect even tho there was no evidence ??? Ma’am you are creating your own problems.
I’m sure I forgot something, but I don’t recommend this series if all the books are like this.
UPDATE:
My original review was 1 star but after reading the whole series I raised it to 3. Whitney is still as irritating in this but I was able to enjoy the mystery the second time around because I was more invested in the relationship of the two women. Whitney gets much more likable around book 4 and she meshes well with Georgina. Worth a shot!
I was really disappointed.
The main character, Whitney, is insufferable and not a good cop, she arrested the first suspect she talked to bc he had porn on his computer and used an escort service.
They made Georgina an uptight bitch and her bf is a POS tbh he is a terrible partner and just seems to be not a nice man even before she got him cheating. He was a jerk to her almost constantly.
The cattiness of the women were sooo annoying, like can’t women just support each other and get along for god sakes.
Also all the male cops are either assholes or super dopey. I was unaware that was the only types of men to exist.
Whitney also spends a lot of time tearing down everyone around her in her head. She’s honestly kind of a catty bitch who throws tantrums when she doesn’t get her way. Like she was surprised when she has the wrong suspect even tho there was no evidence ??? Ma’am you are creating your own problems.
I’m sure I forgot something, but I don’t recommend this series if all the books are like this.
UPDATE:
My original review was 1 star but after reading the whole series I raised it to 3. Whitney is still as irritating in this but I was able to enjoy the mystery the second time around because I was more invested in the relationship of the two women. Whitney gets much more likable around book 4 and she meshes well with Georgina. Worth a shot!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 23, 2020
One morning when she's walking to her lecturing job at the university, dr Georgina Cavendish discovers the dead body of one of her students. She offers her help as a forensic psychologist to DCI Whitney Walker who turns her down. If more similar murders occur, eventually she reluctantly accepts the help of George as a profiler. The 2 women are complete opposites and at first, they can't stand each other. As they start working together, they get to know one another and realise that there are things they have in common and that in a team opposites may be an asset. All the victims are students of the same university that 's attended by Whitney's daughter, Tiffany who also knew some of the murdered girls.
I absolutely loved this story! This is a British detective as I like them best. Well shaped and believable characters with a normal home life and backgrounds, an exciting and original story. Nearing the end I did have a hunch who the killer was, but wasn't sure nor completely right. I'm quite happy this is but the first book in a series, as it means there 's more to come.
I received a free ACR from the author, but this is a completely honest review
Merged review:
An epitaph to the book 'Deadly Games' that's been sent as a bonus for subscribers to her newsletter. Although it's interesting!ng, it doesn't really add or change the story itself.
I absolutely loved this story! This is a British detective as I like them best. Well shaped and believable characters with a normal home life and backgrounds, an exciting and original story. Nearing the end I did have a hunch who the killer was, but wasn't sure nor completely right. I'm quite happy this is but the first book in a series, as it means there 's more to come.
I received a free ACR from the author, but this is a completely honest review
Merged review:
An epitaph to the book 'Deadly Games' that's been sent as a bonus for subscribers to her newsletter. Although it's interesting!ng, it doesn't really add or change the story itself.
April 7, 2023
It’s a good, easy read
The murderer wasn’t difficult to figure out and I was surprised that Walker and Cavendish didn’t see it. Still, it was a great book to read in bed when one has flu as it didn’t require a lot of brainwork :)
I will probably continue on with the series because I do like the two main characters. They remind me a bit of an English Rizzoli and Isles. In fact, although the book is set in some fictional university town in England, the book is written in a very “American” way. I don’t know if Rigby is American or British and I do admire her for churning out so many novels. A bit Agatha Christie, including some grammatical errors that Cavendish, a university professor, would never make in speaking. Another very minor point is that it’s often difficult to tell who is speaking, Walker or Cavendish. It will be interesting to see how later books develop.
The murderer wasn’t difficult to figure out and I was surprised that Walker and Cavendish didn’t see it. Still, it was a great book to read in bed when one has flu as it didn’t require a lot of brainwork :)
I will probably continue on with the series because I do like the two main characters. They remind me a bit of an English Rizzoli and Isles. In fact, although the book is set in some fictional university town in England, the book is written in a very “American” way. I don’t know if Rigby is American or British and I do admire her for churning out so many novels. A bit Agatha Christie, including some grammatical errors that Cavendish, a university professor, would never make in speaking. Another very minor point is that it’s often difficult to tell who is speaking, Walker or Cavendish. It will be interesting to see how later books develop.
November 28, 2022
I enjoyed this crime thriller where two women from different backgrounds and outlooks form a formidable duo to catch a ruthless killer.
It was fast-paced with a good writing style (except for 'off of') and characters that 'fit the bill'.
No spoilers so will just say that I think those who like this genre would enjoy it, too.
It was fast-paced with a good writing style (except for 'off of') and characters that 'fit the bill'.
No spoilers so will just say that I think those who like this genre would enjoy it, too.
October 24, 2020
I'm really feeling torn here.
Partly because Sally Rigby has just been so wonderful. To send me - little old me - a signed copy of her first book, and those of two of her fellow authors, just because I have no greater talent than an ability to tell a bad joke. The least I can do after having read the book is to leave a review. But I have to be honest. And, I'm really sorry, but that means saying something critical ...
But also, even without that, I'm kind of torn by the book as well. On the positive side, I absolutely could not put it down. I raced through it in three evenings / late nights, knowing full well that it would leave me tired at work the next day but not caring. Right from the second chapter, in which the body of a psychology student is found by her tutor, the pace is fast and relentless. DCI Whitney Walker, placed in charge of the case, has been threatened with demotion after screwing up over a drugs raid and now has a massive chip on her shoulder against her boss, who is ambitious for himself at the detriment of his own team and the sort of character we all love to hate. Dr Georgina 'George' Cavendish knows the murdered student and longs to help the police find her killer. But the body count continues to rise, with each victim another student killed in an identical manner. The gap between each killing is getting shorter, and to prevent more deaths is a race against time ...
The real trouble for me was that having reached the end, I couldn't help but feel a little bit deflated. I may be wrong, but it felt as though the team of Walker and Cavendish, working together on police cases, had well and truly been established in the author's mind first, but that she felt the need for them to be introduced to each other. However, I didn't feel that this storyline really managed to do this all that well. It relied on Whitney initially refusing to acknowledge George's existence, but changing her mind instantly after her colleague Matt said "I think she'd be a useful addition to the team".
Wouldn't there have needed to be a bit more of an argument, with him being a bit more persuasive? And is it really likely that an academic with no police experience whatsoever would almost immediately be taken on as an unpaid advisor and given access to all the case details? I don't know, I don't really have any police or legal knowledge either. So perhaps it would. But if I'd been arrested as part of this investigation, I'd like to think that my solicitor would try and challenge it in court.
This isn't nit-picking, because it's fundamental to the book and presumably, others in the series.
Then there's the issue that if I knew the victim, I don't think I'd want Whitney Walker investigating the case. All it takes is a discovery that someone in the university's admin department has photos of female students on his computer and visits a lot of bondage sites, and she decides that he must be guilty and drops everything else in pursuit of him. Sure, she has evidence that he's a creep, but no worse. And yet when she meets someone who has a connection to all of the victims, she personally likes that character and seems to spare them any investigation, or even detailed questioning of any kind.
There's more, I'm afraid. I'm not sure some of the minor characters really needed to feature. George's partner Stephen seemed to have been written in purely so she could dump him, and the main reason for Whitney having a teenage daughter, Tiffany, was so the killer could get to her as well. But why? Were we supposed to believe that Whitney would work the case harder if she knew her own daughter was in danger? Surely if it had been any young woman, she should have been just as motivated? But now that Tiffany does exist, does this mean that her life will need to be endangered in other books in the series too? If so, it has the potential to get very wearing very quickly.
I also missed the sense of a setting. The story takes place in the town of 'Lenchester', which I've never heard of and assume is fictitious. But you don't even get an idea of which part of the country that might be in. It doesn't have to be this way. Look at any of Peter Robinson's DCI Banks novels, which are clearly set in the Yorkshire Dales even though the town of Eastvale is made up. Personally though, I like it even better when real locations are used, such as Peter James' Brighton or Angela Marsons' Black Country.
Lastly, there's the solution. The case was ultimately solved not by Whitney's police work or George's input, but by an observation made by the pathologist. And I thought that more could have been made of the killer's motivation to do what he/she did.
This is starting to sound like I didn't enjoy the book, and given the speed that I read it, that's obviously not right. I'd give it 3.5 stars if I had that option. And it's done enough in that I am going to read the next book in the series, and give it a chance. Hopefully, with the investigating team of Cavendish and Walker now established, the stories and their characters can now develop.
Partly because Sally Rigby has just been so wonderful. To send me - little old me - a signed copy of her first book, and those of two of her fellow authors, just because I have no greater talent than an ability to tell a bad joke. The least I can do after having read the book is to leave a review. But I have to be honest. And, I'm really sorry, but that means saying something critical ...
But also, even without that, I'm kind of torn by the book as well. On the positive side, I absolutely could not put it down. I raced through it in three evenings / late nights, knowing full well that it would leave me tired at work the next day but not caring. Right from the second chapter, in which the body of a psychology student is found by her tutor, the pace is fast and relentless. DCI Whitney Walker, placed in charge of the case, has been threatened with demotion after screwing up over a drugs raid and now has a massive chip on her shoulder against her boss, who is ambitious for himself at the detriment of his own team and the sort of character we all love to hate. Dr Georgina 'George' Cavendish knows the murdered student and longs to help the police find her killer. But the body count continues to rise, with each victim another student killed in an identical manner. The gap between each killing is getting shorter, and to prevent more deaths is a race against time ...
The real trouble for me was that having reached the end, I couldn't help but feel a little bit deflated. I may be wrong, but it felt as though the team of Walker and Cavendish, working together on police cases, had well and truly been established in the author's mind first, but that she felt the need for them to be introduced to each other. However, I didn't feel that this storyline really managed to do this all that well. It relied on Whitney initially refusing to acknowledge George's existence, but changing her mind instantly after her colleague Matt said "I think she'd be a useful addition to the team".
Wouldn't there have needed to be a bit more of an argument, with him being a bit more persuasive? And is it really likely that an academic with no police experience whatsoever would almost immediately be taken on as an unpaid advisor and given access to all the case details? I don't know, I don't really have any police or legal knowledge either. So perhaps it would. But if I'd been arrested as part of this investigation, I'd like to think that my solicitor would try and challenge it in court.
This isn't nit-picking, because it's fundamental to the book and presumably, others in the series.
Then there's the issue that if I knew the victim, I don't think I'd want Whitney Walker investigating the case. All it takes is a discovery that someone in the university's admin department has photos of female students on his computer and visits a lot of bondage sites, and she decides that he must be guilty and drops everything else in pursuit of him. Sure, she has evidence that he's a creep, but no worse. And yet when she meets someone who has a connection to all of the victims, she personally likes that character and seems to spare them any investigation, or even detailed questioning of any kind.
There's more, I'm afraid. I'm not sure some of the minor characters really needed to feature. George's partner Stephen seemed to have been written in purely so she could dump him, and the main reason for Whitney having a teenage daughter, Tiffany, was so the killer could get to her as well. But why? Were we supposed to believe that Whitney would work the case harder if she knew her own daughter was in danger? Surely if it had been any young woman, she should have been just as motivated? But now that Tiffany does exist, does this mean that her life will need to be endangered in other books in the series too? If so, it has the potential to get very wearing very quickly.
I also missed the sense of a setting. The story takes place in the town of 'Lenchester', which I've never heard of and assume is fictitious. But you don't even get an idea of which part of the country that might be in. It doesn't have to be this way. Look at any of Peter Robinson's DCI Banks novels, which are clearly set in the Yorkshire Dales even though the town of Eastvale is made up. Personally though, I like it even better when real locations are used, such as Peter James' Brighton or Angela Marsons' Black Country.
Lastly, there's the solution. The case was ultimately solved not by Whitney's police work or George's input, but by an observation made by the pathologist. And I thought that more could have been made of the killer's motivation to do what he/she did.
This is starting to sound like I didn't enjoy the book, and given the speed that I read it, that's obviously not right. I'd give it 3.5 stars if I had that option. And it's done enough in that I am going to read the next book in the series, and give it a chance. Hopefully, with the investigating team of Cavendish and Walker now established, the stories and their characters can now develop.
September 20, 2022
The book that got me back into reading. Absolutely fantastic book
November 27, 2022
I found this through the audible plus carelogue and I am glad that I did. The female leads were very well developed and different which made a great change.
The narration really worked.
The narration really worked.
May 7, 2023
Enjoyable police procedural. I look forward to listening to the next in the series.
June 17, 2023
Audiobook
I really liked the main character’s. I think I’ll definitely listen to the next book.
I really liked the main character’s. I think I’ll definitely listen to the next book.
November 30, 2023
Where to start??
The 2 stars are for the story which had the potential to be an enthralling page-turner. That’s it.
The 2 main characters are 2 dimensional, their relationship is more akin to that of teenage girls than 2 professional women. Walker has a working class chip on her shoulder & thinks that everyone with a degree is condescending, entitled and snobbish. Cavendish fulfils that idea exactly and if she was as strong as she says she is, she’d have binned the stereotypical, sexist Stephen before he got his feet under her table! Walker has achieved the rank of DCI but has a remarkable lack of insight, little knowledge of police procedure and in this book (the first) mucked up 2 investigations through sloppy work & presumptions. Her attitude to her senior officer would have had her disciplined in a heartbeat. There’s no background to her “loyal team” and there’s random stuff chucked in for no apparent reason (team member whose dad was ill) - padding the word count maybe or an attempt to make Walker seem sympathetic. 🤷♀️
That’s just the story. The language is simplistic - it’s ok to assume your readers have a reading age of over 10. We don’t need every nuance of psychology explained and neither does Walker- she’s an experienced DCI (allegedly). I’ve seen more sophisticated narrative from P7 (Year 6) pupils. It’s a shame as the story idea is a good one. There are 12 books in the series. The rest will remain unread.
The 2 stars are for the story which had the potential to be an enthralling page-turner. That’s it.
The 2 main characters are 2 dimensional, their relationship is more akin to that of teenage girls than 2 professional women. Walker has a working class chip on her shoulder & thinks that everyone with a degree is condescending, entitled and snobbish. Cavendish fulfils that idea exactly and if she was as strong as she says she is, she’d have binned the stereotypical, sexist Stephen before he got his feet under her table! Walker has achieved the rank of DCI but has a remarkable lack of insight, little knowledge of police procedure and in this book (the first) mucked up 2 investigations through sloppy work & presumptions. Her attitude to her senior officer would have had her disciplined in a heartbeat. There’s no background to her “loyal team” and there’s random stuff chucked in for no apparent reason (team member whose dad was ill) - padding the word count maybe or an attempt to make Walker seem sympathetic. 🤷♀️
That’s just the story. The language is simplistic - it’s ok to assume your readers have a reading age of over 10. We don’t need every nuance of psychology explained and neither does Walker- she’s an experienced DCI (allegedly). I’ve seen more sophisticated narrative from P7 (Year 6) pupils. It’s a shame as the story idea is a good one. There are 12 books in the series. The rest will remain unread.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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